


Tethered Fate

by LessAttitudeMoreAltitude



Series: Daiima AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: (although that's not what I call them), Alternate Universe, Canon Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Daemons, Don't worry Cal will be fine, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force sensitives have Daemons, Gen, Inquisitorious, Prequel, inquisitors - Freeform, more or less, non-canon death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25050802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LessAttitudeMoreAltitude/pseuds/LessAttitudeMoreAltitude
Summary: Glimpses throughout Cal and Rida's journey to adulthood.i.e. What if Force sensitives had daemon-like creatures?
Series: Daiima AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814311
Comments: 13
Kudos: 39





	1. Prologue: Naming

**Author's Note:**

> This is a finished short story that I'll be updating sporadically over the next week or so. This is meant as a sort of explanatory piece to explain my 'verse. The main longfic that follows this will be focused primarily on the Ghost crew in the same 'verse. 
> 
> Yes, this is obviously inspired by His Dark Materials, however the concept of having an animal-like soul partner is all I'm taking from HDM.

She has always been a part of Cal. From the very beginning, she was right there beside him. They learned about the Force and the Jedi Order together, going through exercises, playing with their friends… She would change from rat, to moth, to wolf as easily as Cal could stand and walk.

Master Yoda had told them they were their ‘daiima’, their Force mates. Everyone at the Jedi Temple had them, although the adults’ daiima never changed forms. Master Yoda’s daiima was a blue and yellow reptile that came up to the Jedi’s hip. Her name was Oona, and she enjoyed teasing the younglings’ daiima with her long tongue. 

Cal’s daiima… well, she didn’t have a name. She didn’t need one. She was an intrinsic part of him that was bound to him through the Force by an unbreakable tether. And she wasn’t alone. None of the daiima in his clan had names. It wasn’t until they were four years old that Master Yoda and Oona helped them through the naming ritual. 

“A special and sacred tradition, this is for young Jedi,” the aging master said as he walked back and forth in front of them with his cane. Oona was lying on the floor behind him, her tail slowly waving back and forth as she listened. “In the meditation rooms, focus on the Force. Let it guide you to your daiima’s name.”

A hand shot up in the air, and Cal immediately knew who it was. Even Master Yoda seemed unsurprised as he turned and chuckled. “A question you have, young Dume?”

Caleb was sitting at the other end of the room, his daiima curled up in his lap as a tooka cat. “Yes, Master Yoda. How are we supposed to get the name? Will the Force actually talk to us?”

“The Force will speak to you as it does always,” Oona said, standing up and crawling towards Caleb. She gave his daiima a light lick on the ear, making both of them giggle. “Her name is special,” she said softly, addressing Caleb directly. “It will be up to the both of you to find it.”

Caleb gave a little frown at that. “But…!”

“ _Trust…_ in the Force,” she said firmly.

Cal huffed, squirming in his seat as his daiima sat on his shoulder as a moth. Caleb really did ask too many questions. If this was how it was done, then that was how it was done. He should trust Master Yoda and Oona. 

Master Yoda tapped his cane on the floor to gather everyone’s attention again. “Your first challenge as a Jedi this will be. The first of many to come.” He tapped the floor again, harder this time for emphasis. “Now go. Concentrate, and let the Force guide you.”

Cal got up and eagerly trotted over to his usual meditation room. The rooms were all plain and small with grey mats on the floor for Jedi and their daiima to sit on. Closing the door behind them, his daiima fluttered off his shoulder and transformed into a small brown and white rat as she settled on one of the mats. Cal sat across from her with his legs crossed

[ _What do you think my name will be?_ ] she asked him through their bond. They avoided speaking aloud while in here since talking meant they weren’t properly meditating. 

[ _I don’t know. Something pretty I bet._ ] Cal closed his eyes and started to breathe evenly. He could feel her doing the same, and they both concentrated on the warm waves of the Force that constantly flowed through the Temple. 

For a while, they meditated as normal. But then Cal narrowed his focus down until he was ‘looking’ at his daiima through the Force. Their bond was bright and strong. 

In the eyes of the Force, daiima were different than other sentients or animals. The Force resided in all living things, but daiima were centers of pure energy. Sure, you could touch and feel them the same way as animals, but in the Force they were beacons of lights not unlike the kyber crystals that resided in all Jedi lightsabers.

Cal focused on his daiima, trying to let the Force speak to him the way Oona had described. When looking at his daiima, when _really_ looking at her, what did he see? What did he feel? What name suited her and brought her light just a little bit closer to the physical world?

What happened next was difficult to describe. It wasn’t exactly a whisper, but the Force shifted around them, and Cal could feel his daiima’s excitement rising. When the moment passed, he opened his eyes to see his daiima looking up at him eagerly.

_Elvarida_

It wasn’t spoken or thought by either of them, but it came to them nonetheless. 

“My name is so much longer than yours!” she said aloud, unable to contain her excitement.

Cal smiled and giggled. “Well we don’t have to use the _whole_ name. I can just call you El. Or Elva. Or Rida.”

She perked up at the last one. “I like Rida!”

Cal’s cheeks were starting to hurt from how hard he was smiling. “Okay, then from now on I’m calling you Rida!” He swept her up in his arms and held her tightly, their bond shining just a little bit brighter and warmer. 


	2. The Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why Cal and Rida were apprenticed at such a young age

Cal was rocking slightly on his bed, Rida curled up in his lap. They were just now starting to come back into their own bodies and memories. Cal had always had this knack for seeing echoes when he touched certain objects. Little memories and flashes. They never bothered him. They were just parts of other Jedi’s lives. 

Rida was licking at the edge of the bandage on Cal’s arm. They had been doing some practice with the training sabers. Cal had tripped and burned his arm. It wasn’t that bad, but Master Yoda insisted he get it looked at in the Halls of Healing. Cal hadn’t been there in years. Last time, the Halls were practically empty. But now with the Clone Wars ramping up, a few sections were cordoned off and Cal could sense the presence of several sentients occupying the beds. 

TB-1 met him at the entrance, humming as he looked over the burn. “This is a mild injury. Stay here while I collect some bacta.”

Cal just nodded and hummed as he shifted from foot to foot, Rida draped over his shoulders as a serpent. 

“This is _really_ not necessary.”

“Skywalker, I understand you have an excellent field medic, but you _still_ have internal injuries so _sit down_.”

Skywalker? Cal tiptoed forward, peaking into a small operating room. Doctor Nema was standing beside a bed, her derpit daiima on her shoulder. On said bed was _Anakin Skywalker,_ his black and red winged minor krayt dragon perched at the foot of it. Skywalker looked bruised and beat up, a bandage around his head.

“I will be back in a few minutes,” Doctor Nema said. “I need to prepare a bacta tank.”

“I don’t need a kriffing _bacta tank_ …”

She didn’t pay him any mind, turning to walk out. Cal quickly stepped back and pressed himself against the wall as Doctor Nema walked out and down the corridor. He relaxed when neither she nor her daiima noticed them.

“Youngling?”

Cal jumped, turning around to peek back inside. Master Skywalker had a crooked smile as he met Cal’s gaze. Cal could feel his face burn in embarrassment.

“It’s alright, we don’t bite,” he said with a slight chuckle.

Taking the invitation, Cal slowly stepped inside and gave a polite bow. “H-Hi.”

“What brings you into the infirmary?” the Jedi asked, still smiling. His eyes were soft and kind. It helped Cal relax a bit.

“Um, I got hurt.” He raised his arm to show him the burn.

“Oh ouch. Training saber?”

Cal nodded. “Doesn’t hurt that bad though…” he lied. “Master Yoda made me come.”

Anakin chuckled. “Yeah, Master Yoda tends to err on the side of overly cautious.”

Cal’s eyes scanned over his heavily bandaged body. “Did… you get hurt fighting the war?”

“What, this?” Anakin raised his arms slightly, looking down at his bandaged torso. “Ah, this is nothing.”

Skywalker’s daiima sighed and rolled her eyes. “Internal bleeding is not _nothing_.”

“It’s on the _inside_ ,” Anakin retorted. “That’s where it’s supposed to be!” He suddenly gasped and flinched, quickly cradling his side. His elbow bumped the side table and his lightsaber rolled off and onto the ground.

“I got it!” Cal said, eager to help out the great Anakin Skywalker. He bounced forward and bent over to grab it. 

_The center of his chest_ **_burned_ ** _icy hot, grief and unfettered rage ripping through him as he gazed down at his mother…_

 _His_ **_dead_ ** _mother._

_The only meaning, the only purpose, that Anakin could fathom was that of the rage building within him, an anger at losing someone he did not wish to give up._

_Some small part of him warned him not to give in to that anger, warned him that such emotions were of the dark side._

_There was a low growl as Pateesa nuzzled her womp rat nose against their mother’s broken body. She wanted_ **_blood_** _. That desire echoed within Anakin… and so the Jedi Padawan climbed to his feet and took up his lightsaber._

_The two Tusken guards gave a yelp and lifted their staves rushing for him but the blue-glowing blade ignited and in a flash of killing light, Anakin stabbed the one to the right as Pateesa shifted into a minor krayt dragon, wings sprouting from her back as she sank her claws into the chest of the one to the left._

_The rage was not sated._

_A voice rang out through the Force. “Anakin! Pateesa!_ **_No!_** _”_

_They were too full of pain and anger. The words meant nothing. The Tusken woman screamed as she was impaled. Another Tusken with a spear charged at him with a throaty yell, but Anakin spun his lightsaber through the air and sliced through him. A Tusken child was hiding in the shadows, staring at him with an incredulous expression._

_Until Pateesa swooped down and sank her teeth into the child’s neck._

_Anakin felt a surge of energy and strength beyond anything he had ever known, felt full of the Force, full of power, full of life._

_The Tuskens all tried to flee, but Anakin would have none of that. He saw one group rush into a hut, and he reached out to a large boulder in the distance. It flew to his call, soaring across the sand, and Anakin dropped it on the hut, crushing them all._

_And then it was over, Anakin stood among the ruins of the encampment, dozens and dozens of dead Tusken Raiders all about him, and only a single hut still standing. Pateesa landed on his shoulder, her settled form bloodied._

Cal vomited before he and Rida promptly passed out. 

When they woke up next, rage and grief were still thrumming through them, ripping them from the inside. All they could do was scream. 

It took some time before they came back to themselves. And now they could hear Master Che quietly speaking with others outside of their room. 

[ _W-What was that?_ ] Rida asked, her voice quiet and hesitant even through their own bond.

[ _I-I’m not sure…_ ] Cal replied, panic still vibrating in his chest. 

[ _Those… those were Master Skywalker’s memories… right?_ ]

[ _No, they_ **_can’t_ ** _be!_ ] Cal insisted, his grip on Rida tightening. [ _Master Skywalker is a hero! A legend! He’s everything a Jedi should be! What that was was…_ ]

It was horrible. These echoes, these feelings… they were the exact opposite of what a Jedi should be. 

The door to his room opened, Doctor Che walking in. She gave a soft smile. “You seem better,” she said.

Cal just nodded. Neither he nor Rida had the energy to speak aloud. 

Master Che’s plurit daiima, Gueri, hopped up on the bed beside them. He kept a respective distance, but between the older Twi’lek and her daiima, a sense of calm was starting to seep gently into Cal and Rida. 

“You saw something…” Che said softly. “... When you tried to pick up Skywalker’s lightsaber.”

Cal nodded.

“Something bad.”

Cal swallowed and nodded again, petting Rida’s fur.

“Can you tell us what you saw?” Gueri asked.

Cal bit his lip. [ _I can’t… It doesn’t make any sense. I mean even if it_ **_did_** _, they won't believe me!_ ]

Rida lifted her head up and looked over at Gueri. “We… We saw them fighting,” she murmured.

“Against the Separatists?” Gueri clarified.

Rida glanced up at Cal before just giving a small nod, unable to summon the courage to correct him. 

Master Che and Gueri shared a glance. “I’ve spoken with the High Council,” Che said. “Your psychometry is making you increasingly vulnerable. We had not realized the extent of your ability. Because of this… We have agreed to make an exception for you and Rida.”

Cal gave a small frown, sharing a glance with Rida. “What... kind of exception...?” Cal asked.

“We believe it is imperative that you be apprenticed sooner rather than later to help get your abilities under control. And so, beginning immediately… you are going to be taken in by Jaro Tapal as his padawan.”

Cal’s eyes widened. He was certain he had misheard her. “But… w-what about the Initiate Trials? I haven’t taken them yet!”

“The trials are a formality,” Master Che said. “You can take them at a later date. It is more important that you have a dedicated master to help regulate your ability.”

There was a knock on the door, making Cal and Rida jump. 

“Ah yes, that should be them… Come in!”

The door opened, and an _enormous_ man walked in, his equally massive jakobeast daiima half a pace behind him. Cal didn’t recognize the man’s species. He towered over them, _much_ more than two meters in height. He had digitigrade legs and purple striped fur.

“Cal Kestis, Elvarida... this is Jaro Tapal and Ida. Your new masters.”

Cal scrambled to stand so that he could give a polite bow, but Master Tapal raised a hand. “There’s no need for formalities,” he said, his low timbre surprisingly soft. “I understand this has been a difficult day for you.”

Cal bit his lip and gave a small nod. “Y-Yes, Master.”

Master Che stood as Gueri jumped down from Cal’s bunk. “We will leave you to get acquainted.”

“Thank you, Vokara,” Master Tapal said. He and his daiima stepped into the room more fully to allow the Twi’lek and plurit formed daiima to leave. Once the door closed behind them, Master Tapal turned back towards Cal. “I’m glad to see that you are more yourself now.”

That was a confusing statement that had Cal frowning. “More myself?” he echoed.

“Ah, my apologies. Ida and I were in here earlier with Master Che to check on your condition. The incident with Skywalker’s saber was deeply worrying.”

Cal curled in on himself, pulling Rida to his chest again. “I’m sorry…” he murmured.

“You don’t need to apologize, padawan.” Jaro took a half step closer before kneeling, although he was still above Cal’s eye level. Ida stepped to Jaro’s side and sat beside him. “This is why you are being placed under my tutelage. I will start by teaching you in some basic focusing exercises. It will be the first step to getting your abilities under your control.”

“And it won’t just be Cal,” Ida said, addressing Rida directly. “With your Force tether and bond, you can learn to aid Cal in creating separation between yourselves and your visions.”

Rida perked up slightly at that. “Really? How?!”

Ida chuckled and Jaro gave a smile. “Patience, young one. It will take some time. And right now, you two should focus on resting. Meditate to help clear your mind.” Jaro reached forward and put a hand on Cal’s shoulder. “We will begin tomorrow.”

Despite the imposing presence of both the Jedi and his daiima, Cal found himself relaxing. Master Tapal’s hand dwarfed his shoulder, but it was warm and a gentle sense of calm was washing over both Cal and Rida. 

Cal met his new master’s gaze and smiled back. “Okay… Master.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A large portion of the scene of Anakin slaughtering the Tuskens came from the novelization of AotC


	3. The Purge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the war has come

“Padawan, it’s time for instruction,” Master Tapal said through the comm speakers. “Reach our position, and do not keep me waiting. And remember, Rida: take a form that would not necessarily be advantageous in this kind of scenario.”

“Yes, Master,” Cal and Rida both chanted. Rida took the form of a jakobeast, mirroring Ida’s settled form. It was common for Rida to take a single form for exercises. They couldn’t predict what she would settle as, so it was best to prepare with a variety of forms.

The training arena began to transform, and Cal and Rida immediately jumped onto the first rising platform. They had done this dozens of times now, so it was second nature at this point. 

What they _hadn’t_ anticipated was the shots Commander Nag took at them as they neared the end.

“Whoa!” Cal barely managed to deflect them with his saber. “Cheap shot, Commander!” 

Commander Nag just laughed in return.

“Focus,” Jaro chastised gently. “Were you concentrating, you would have anticipated this distraction.”

Cal and Rida shared a glance and nodded. They couldn’t take anything for granted. Their masters wanted them to be prepared for any eventuality and were obviously willing to throw all sorts of obstacles at them. 

Thankfully, the rest of the rest of the course went smoothly. They arrived in the observation deck, and Jaro turned to them as Ida stood from where she was laying. “We will begin with physical preparation,” Jaro said. “First though…” he glanced at the Commander. “We have orders.”

Excitement began to rise up in Cal’s chest, Rida rolling her shoulders eagerly. Did this mean…?

“Bracca is secure,” Ida said with a hint of amusement in her voice. “We move out for Mygeeto shortly.”

“Yes!” Cal cheered, bouncing on his feet. Rida was giggling as she shifted into a snake and wrapped around Cal’s leg. “When do we leave?!” she asked excitedly.

“Soon,” Ida assured.

Even Jaro gave a half smirk at their eagerness. “But first you must…”

Ida and Jaro suddenly both groaned. Ida shivered and bowed her head as Jaro gripped his forehead and reeled back a step. They looked as if they were in pain.

Cal took a step toward them in worry. “Master? Are you okay?”

Jaro was gasping as he pressed a hand to his heart. “Something is…”

“... _wrong_.” Ida finished with a low whisper.

Before Cal could respond, Commander Nag raised his blaster… and pointed it at Jaro. 

Fear and disbelief gripped Cal’s chest. “No! _No!_ ”

With unnatural speed, Ida leapt over with a loud snarl, her jaw crushing the Commander’s gauntlet as Jaro ignited his lightsaber and sliced the blade through Commander Nag’s chest. 

The clone’s body crumpled to the ground, and Cal could only stare in shock. 

[ _W-What’s happening?_ ] Rida’s voice in Cal’s head was panicked as she squeezed his leg tightly. 

[ _I don’t know_ ] Cal replied, their panic beginning to feed into each other. He looked up desperately at Master Tapal. “Why did the Commander just…?!”

His master raised his hand, silencing him. Jaro had his eyes closed as he searched the Force. Ida stepped closer to Jaro. “I can feel them disappearing…” she breathed in horror.

Jaro opened his eyes, his expression mirroring Ida’s horror. Then it hardened as he looked down at Cal. “Padawan, something terrible is happening. The clones have betrayed us. There are no answers to your questions, not yet.” Jaro turned and walked towards the door as Ida circled around and gazed out through the transparisteel. “We need to get off this ship. Quickly.”

Cal just nodded as he trotted after Jaro, Rida riding up on him so she was wrapped around his torso. They trusted their master. The best thing they could do now was listen and obey.

“Get to the escape pods. Use the maintenance halls.” Before opening the door, Jaro kneeled and put a hand on Cal’s shoulder. “We trained for this, do you remember?”

Cal nodded. “Yes, Master.”

“W-What about you…?” Rida asked.

“We will create a distraction and meet you,” Ida said, glancing at them.

“If we are not there when you arrive, depart without us,” Jaro said sternly, his tone brokering no argument. “We’ll find you on Bracca. _Do_ you understand?”

Cal swallowed, holding Rida tightly to his chest as she squeezed him just as hard. “Yes, Master,” he replied quietly. They both needed to keep their fear under control if they were going to make it out of this. 

Ida suddenly let out a low growl. “They are coming.”

Jaro gave a single nod in acknowledgement as he stood. “I will seal the blast doors.” He looked down at Cal and Rida. “But if _any_ cross your path, do not hesitate.”

The implication was clear, and it made Cal’s blood run cold. _They might have to kill their friends_. 

“Go,” Master Tapal said, his voice softening slightly. “And may the Force be with you.” He punched the control panel, the door opening.

Cal could only stare at him, hesitating. He couldn’t wrap his head around everything that was happening.

But there was no time. Jaro jerked his head to the hall. “ _Go!_ ” he barked. 

It was enough to spur Cal to take off down the hallway. There was another door that hissed open automatically as he approached it. It led to a longer corridor, and only thirty meters ahead of him were several troopers. 

“There he is! Shoot to kill!”

“No, stop!” Cal pulled out his lightsaber just in time to block the bolts flying at them. He reflected them to the side, unwilling to hit any of these men.

[ _Cal, you have to keep running!_ ]

[ _But… they’re all_ **_right there_** _…!_ ]

Thankfully a moment later, the blast doors slammed shut, blocking the troopers from pursuing them. Managing to take a deep breath, Cal kept running towards the maintenance shaft. As he took a left turn, he saw the blast doors were beginning to shut along every path except the one that led to his destination.

This was good. Their master was clearing the path for them. Maybe they could get out without hurting anyone…

They rounded another corner, and Cal froze in his place as he saw more troopers running down a hall in front of the entrance to the maintenance halls. Thankfully, none of them seemed to have spotted them.

“Tapal’s on the move,” one trooper said. “We’re going to need backup.”

A moment later the blast doors closed, blocking any other troopers and leaving the way ahead clear, nothing between them and the large grill that led into the maintenance halls. Rida jumped down from Cal, turning into a jakobeast and sinking her horns into the edge of the grill and ripping it out. It was a narrow fit, but thankfully, Cal was small enough to squeeze through. He reached his arm out for Rida to turn back into a snake and wrap around it as they slipped inside.

[ _This doesn’t make any sense… What’s going on?_ ]

[ _I don’t know, but we just need to make it to the escape pods, like Master Tapal said._ ]

Cal swallowed, as he jumped down into the ventilation chamber. [ _Right..._ ]

“Do we have eyes on the Jedi?” It was one of the troopers voices, filtering in from one of the corridors.

“No sign of the little one.”

“Search everywhere. He can’t have gone far…”

Ice gripped at Cal’s heart. They were speaking so _casually._ Like they were hunting down some straggling Seppie droids, not men they had fought side by side with for _months_.

But Rida was right, they just had to keep moving. Cal reached out with the Force, freezing the large fan in his path and running past it.

“Air’s off again… Wait, what was that noise?”

“Hold this room. _I’ll_ search the area.”

Moving... He just had to keep _moving_.

He scrambled through the maintenance halls. He’s done this many times. It was a great place to hide and screw around. He never thought he’d have to use them to escape from _their own men_.

“Reporting casualties! Tapal has taken out multiple squads! Shoot on sight.”

“Copy that.”

Everything had gone so _wrong_ all at once, it was like the universe had flipped upside down. “I don’t understand,” Cal muttered under his breath, Force pushing over a large durasteel panel. “What _changed?_ ”

“What was that?”

“Someone’s in the maintenance halls!”

 _Kriff_. [ _I-I think we’re near the turbolift…_ ]

[ _We are, it’s just past these power cables._ ]

Call nodded, taking out his saber and slicing through them. He hopped over the red hot stumps. [ _It’s not much further after that._ ]

There was another narrow opening that he had to squeeze through, but then he was standing on a platform in the turbolift shaft. He looked around at the moving lifts and hanging cables. “Now what?”

Rida shifted into a horned anole lizard, climbing up to Cal’s shoulder to look around the shaft. “The escape pods are going to be a couple levels above us… up there.” She pointed with a claw at an opening above them. 

Cal nodded, Force pulling one of the cables to his hand and swinging over to a grate on the opposite side. Bit by bit, platform by platform, they made their way up. 

“I have eyes on the small padawan!”

Cal’s head snapped up to see a trooper in an opening to his right. No, not just any trooper… It was _Gloves_.

“He’s in the turbolift!” Gloves raised his blaster and aimed it at them. 

“No wait!” The bolts started to fly, and Cal had to deflect them. “Gloves, please, it’s _me!_ ”

His words had no effect, the trooper still blasting at them. It was like Gloves was a completely different person. All the missions, everything they had been through all of the sudden meant _nothing._

“CAL!” Rida cried, jumping off his shoulder as a Coruscanti bat to avoid a bolt.

His instinctual need to survive and protect his daiima suddenly overrode any misgivings as he reflected the bolts back at the source of danger. It only took two shots of plasma before the trooper fell.

Cal could barely process what just happened when he was rocked by an explosion somewhere on the ship. “Just need to keep moving,” Rida said, flying over to the grate alongside a lift above them. “We’re almost there…”

Rida suddenly yelped as a blue bolt whizzed past her, making her dive back down to the safety of Cal’s back. Her panic resonated in his chest, making him pant. Gritting his teeth, Cal summoned the courage to jump to the top of the lift, immediately lighting his saber to face whoever was shooting at them. 

“Take him out! Then we go after Tapal!”

There were two troopers, and they shot a barrage of plasma bolts at him. It was more than Cal could handle, and barely blocking one bolt aimed to the center of his chest had him stumbling down to the ground. He grunted and his saber flew out of his hands and rolled over the side of the lift. Cal scrambled to the edge to grab it as Rida took off and tried to swoop down for it. 

Their Force tether _yanked_ , and Cal whimpered. “R-Rida!”

A bolt struck the durasteel by Cal’s head and he flinched, instinctively curling in on himself. Now he had no means of defending himself.

Then there was the familiar snarl of Ida as she headbutt one of the troopers and knocked him into the turbolift shaft, followed almost immediately by the beating of a spinning lightsaber that sliced through the other. Jaro stepped up behind his daiima as he grabbed his saber out of the air. “Padawan, your lightsaber!”

“I’m sorry, Master!”

“Keep climbing! We’ll meet you up ahead!” He and Ida turned and walked away, the door closing behind him. 

[ _Should we follow them?_ ] Cal asked.

[ _No way, not without your lightsaber_ ] Rida said. Cal could feel her guilt; she felt she should have been able to catch his saber.

[ _I shouldn’t have dropped it in the first place…_ ] 

Rida sighed and nodded. [ _Either way, we should stick to the maintenance halls._ ]

Cal nodded in response. The opening that led back into maintenance was only ten meters above them now. He focused on climbing, and thankfully no more troopers got in their way. He squeezed through the opening to step onto a slippery slope. He slid down and was dropped down onto a long grate that overlooked a corridor. His eyes widened as he saw his master fighting below him. He and his daiima fought like a seamless team, working not only together but in concert with the Force as they tore through the squad.

Cal and Rida kept moving forward, keeping pace with them. “There is an override just ahead," Jaro said. "You must activate it if we are to escape.”

“Y-Yes, Master…” Cal grunted, squeezing through a small gap in the piping. Rida was bounding ahead of him in borrat form. In the distance, she could hear a trooper speaking. 

“We have Tapal pinned at the airlock. Send back up.”

[ _Cal..._ ]

[ _I know, I’m coming!_ ] Cal made it through the piping and ran as fast as he could, dropping down into the control room for the airlocks. 

“Jaro Tapal is on the other side of that door?”

“Yeah, but he won’t be getting through. Take him _far_ too long to cut through these doors with that lightsaber. We’ll just wait here until he’s surrounded, then move in for the kill.”

Cal got up to the control panel, looking over the buttons and levers. 

“This one!” Rida jumped up and pressed a red circular button. The hydraulics around the blast doors suddenly hissed as the pressure released.

“What’s that sound?”

The blast doors opened, and Ida charged in first, followed closely by Master Tapal. Just like before they easily disabled one trooper after another. Cal and Rida both watched through the transparisteel panel, enthralled by the show of power and the horror of watching their friends fall.

“Move, Padawan!” Jaro growled. “We have to leave now!”

“R-Right…!” Cal ran to the control room exit, knowing the escape pods were just on the other side. The doors opened… and they were faced with two blasters. 

A high pitched snarl ran out, and Ida’s jaws crushed one trooper’s arm before she flung him against the wall. Jaro leapt forward and sliced his saber through the other trooper before yelling at Cal. “The door controls!”

He gave a shaky nod, running over to the control panel next to one of the escape pods. “W-What am I supposed to do…?” he murmured under his breath.

“I don’t know…” Rida was a beetle, crawling over the controls. “I think you need to prep it for launch first.”

Cal bit his lip as he started the start-up sequence, his fingers shaking. There was a sharp hiss behind him, and he glanced back to see the main door open and reveal a dozen troopers who all opened fire.

Jaro spun his double ended blade, blocking the barrage as Ida danced back and forth to dodge. “Cal, _hurry!_ ”

Cal’s breathing was starting to come in short pants. He was trying, _he was trying…!_

There. The pod was prepped, and it opened for entry.

“Agh!” 

They looked back to see Jaro fall to his knees and Ida collapse to the ground. One of Ida’s back legs was smoking from a blaster wound, several shots striking their master in the chest. 

“ _Master!_ ” Cal got up to help them, but a bolt whizzed by his head and nearly struck Rida by the control panel, making her shriek. The sheer need to survive suddenly overrode everything else. Cal grabbed Rida and held her against his chest, curling up against the wall. They were going to die… They were going to be gunned down _right here and now,_ and they would never know _why_.

He heard his master cry out again, and he looked up to see Jaro grab several troopers with the Force and fling them up and knock them out against the ceiling. 

But there were still just too many of them. They just kept coming, one after another, overwhelming them. Bolt after bolt struck both Jaro and Ida, knocking them back into the pod.

“ _NO!_ ” Cal yelled, stepping between the troopers and their fallen masters as if he could block the bolts through sheer will.

His idealism fizzled away as a bolt grazed along the side of his neck, searing through his flesh. The pain seeped in and sharpened his awareness. Cal reached out into the Force, and with a desperate and primal scream, he wrapped it around the troopers to freeze them in place.

“Cal!” Rida yelled, her voice screeching. “We have to _go!_ ”

Cal scrambled into the escape pod, Rida closing the door behind him and pulling the launch lever. Cal let out a garbled yelp as the inertia had him stumbling back against the back of the pod. But once he regained his footing, he was forced to face the scene in front of him: his master panting and groaning in pain, Ida limp on the ground beside him. Rida was by Ida’s side in tooka cat form, her head resting on Ida’s body as she let out a noise of distress. 

Cal’s breathing hitched as he scrambled over to his master’s side. His eyes scanned over Jaro’s body, at each smoking blaster hole. He had to do something, he had to _fix this_.

“Cal… Cal,” Jaro said softly, putting a hand on his padawan’s back. He was blinking sluggishly, his eyes unfocused. “I overloaded the ship’s reactors. The explosion will mask our escape…”

That was good. That was good, right?

Jaro gave a breathless laugh. “This… war is not over, my padawan…" He squeezed Cal's shoulder. "H-Hold the line. Wait for the Jedi Council’s signal…”

With a wheezing gasp to summon his strength, Jaro grabbed one of Cal’s hands, pressing his half-ruined saber into it. Cal’s eyes burned as he felt the weight of his Master’s saber in his hand. _No… no no no_ , this couldn’t be happening…! 

“Remember…” Jaro rasped. “Trust… only… i-in the Force…”

“Yes, Master…” Cal whimpered, hot tears spilling over.

And just like that, Jaro Tapal’s life Force unraveled and dissipated. Ida’s form dissolved into swirling dust, and Rida’s head fell to the empty ground.

The sudden absence elicited a sob out of Cal. Which was followed by another, echoing with Rida’s whimpering as she clawed at the durasteel, as if she could pull Ida back from the void.

The escape pod suddenly rocked violently. Cal looked up instinctively at the viewport, trying to figure out what was happening. Then he remembered the explosion his master had concocted. The shockwave must be hitting their pod.

In one fluid action, Rida jumped into Cal’s arms as he went to secure himself in one of the seats. He curled in it, the lightsaber still clutched tightly in his hand as he cradled his soul close to his chest.

[ _We’re alone…_ ]

It was both of them. It was a simple and horrible fact that began to consume them.

[ _We’re alone. We’re alone._ **_We’re alone_** _._ ]

And they both screamed.


	4. Knighthood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Rida are Knighted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one, but it's here for the tiny tidbits of lore

The lightsaber was heavy in Cal’s hand as he walked into the _Mantis_. He could see Cere waiting for him, Ziton perched on the table beside her. She was clad in plain clothes, her dark hair cut short… and her eyes filled with burden. Recognizable but oh so different from the woman he had just seen with his psychometry.

“Cere…” Cal stopped in front of her, holding out the Second Sister’s lightsaber. “We saw what happened. Between you and Trilla. What you all went through…”

Ziton’s feathers ruffled slightly as he stared at the saber in Cal’s hand. However, Cere maintained eye contact with Cal, her expression nearly unreadable. 

“I’m so sorry,” Cal went on, his chest constricting slightly. “I was arrogant, I was foolish…”

“We both were,” Rida added quietly. 

“We could never understand what you went through,” he said, looking between Cere and Ziton. He felt shame at the bottom of his stomach for how he had treated and judged them before. They had done everything they could to protect Trilla and Silik. 

Cere let out a soft almost indiscernible sigh. It was difficult to tell if it was relief or understanding, but Cal knew this meant she forgave him.

But the job wasn’t done. “She has the holocron,” Cal said, walking over and setting the lightsaber on the table next to Ziton. “I don’t know where she’s taking it.”

Cere slowly stepped over to the other side of the table, sinking into the couch. Ziton stepped a little closer to her, and she placed a hand on his great big beak. 

“We are responsible for the path that Trilla and Silik are on,” Ziton said. 

“And what they do next is the cost of _all_ our mistakes,” Cere added quietly.

“Our _mistakes_ are in the past,” Cal said, sitting next to Cere. Rida hopped in front of them as a bogling, staying quiet but looking up at them all imploringly. “And it’s _all_ of our responsibility, and it’s about what we do _next_ that’s important.” He looked between Cere and Ziton. “ _You_ taught us that.”

Cere straightened slightly and nodded. “You’re right,” she said. 

Ziton sighed, readjusting his wings. “We know where she’s taking it.”

“Where?” Rida asked. 

Cere shifted in her seat to face Cal more directly. “There’s a fortress. Where they take Jedi, where the Inquisitors come from… It’s a place of torture.” She gave a humorless chuckle. “It’s the place we escaped. We just never thought we’d be going back there.”

“You won’t be alone,” Cal said, gently grasping her arm. “You’ll have us - your friends - with you.”

Cere looked Cal over for a moment before sharing a glance with Ziton. He gave a short nod, and she turned back to Cal with a small smile. “No,” she said softly, standing up.

Cal frowned as he watched her take a couple paces away from the table. It didn’t seem to be a denial of their friendship, or some attempt to convince Cal and Rida to stay behind… 

Then Cere turned back towards him, her smile just a bit wider. “I’ll have a Jedi with me.”

Before Cal or Rida could comprehend the statement, Cere extended her hand and summoned the Inquisitor’s saber into her grasp. “Kneel.”

That’s when Cal’s brain caught up. “What? But…” He looked down at Rida, who looked back up at him with equal confusion. “But Rida hasn’t settled yet.”

“Being settled is not a prerequisite of Knighthood,” Ziton said. “It’s true that most daiima who have passed their trials with their jemma are settled… but we live in different times now.”

“You have passed your trials in every way that _matters_ ,” Cere said. She waved her hand at the space in front of her. “Kneel.”

Rida was bouncing nervously. Cal could feel her uncertainty bleeding through their bond. [ _I don’t think I’m ready…_ ] 

Cal put a hand on her head, calming her somewhat. [ _You are_ ] he said gently. [ ** _We_ ** _are… Everything we’ve been through, everything we have learned has been building us up for this._ ] Being a Jedi wasn’t simply about pomp and ritual. It was about the Force. It was about peace and harmony, and helping the galaxy take any step - large or small - toward embracing that.

And so, Cal stood and walked over to kneel in front of Cere, Rida hopping over to lean against his side. Ziton spread out his large wings and flapped them a couple times to rise into the air and settle on Cere’s shoulder. She didn’t seem to mind his weight, despite the fact that he seemed to dwarf her.

Cere ignited one of the blades, gazing at the red glow. Then she gazed down at Cal and lowered the blade towards his right shoulder. “By the right of the Council…” The blade moved in an arc over his head to his left shoulder. “By the will of the Force…” Finally, Cere lowered the blade to hover over Rida’s head. “Jemma Cal Kestis and Daiima Elvarida… Rise, Je’daii Knight.”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Cal stood, pulling his shoulders back. Cere retracted the blade and stepped up to him. “You are ready. You are _both_ ready.”

Cal gave a small smile. “So are you,” he replied quietly.

Her eyes softened as she took a small step back, placing her hand against one of Ziton’s wings. “Let’s go.”


	5. Settled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They got the holocron back... but at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major Character death that is NOT canon

Cal ran as fast as he could, pushing through the burn in his lungs and the ache in his muscles. Rida was flying alongside him as mykal, her wings pounding in the air loudly. The power that man in black wielded was like nothing he had ever seen before. He wasn’t just an Inquisitor. He was a _Sith Lord_. There was no way he and Rida stood a chance at survival. They just had to flee. The lift had given them a head start, but that didn’t mean they could dawdle. 

He tried not to linger too much on the Sith’s daiima. A fierce and terrifying minor krayt dragon… One that looked so similar to Master Skywalker’s daiima… 

“Kid, you read me?” Greez’s voice said through the comm. “They’re not responding!”

“They will,” they could hear Merrin say. “I am certain of it.”

“Greez, I’m here,” Cal said into his comm as he ran. “Heading towards the surface. Be ready. I have the holocron but… Cere…” The _ease_ with which the Sith Lord had flung her into the bowels of the interrogation room, her descent forcing Ziton to follow her down… 

Cal made it to the end of a long corridor which ended in a blast door. But before he could press the controls, it suddenly opened. The raspy mechanical breathing and the hum of a lightsaber hit his ears before his eyes took in the giant presence of the masked man, his visage glowing red. 

The krayt dragon swooped in with a screech, striking Rida and causing them both to tumble to the ground as they fought for dominance. Cal was barely holding off the Sith Lord’s attacks, stumbling backward and falling to the ground. The Sith Lord swung down at him, and while Cal managed to block the attack, the red saber was pressing down heavily against his. With the dragon digging her claws into Rida’s flesh, making Cal groan in pain, his strength was quickly being sapped away.

With a barely audible chirp, Cal felt BD-1 crawl across his shoulders and up one of his arms before jumping onto the Sith. Extending his scomp-link, BD-1 drilled it into the back of the Sith’s neck, making sparks fly. Electricity ran over the man’s suit, and he stiffened and reeled back with a garbled electronic groan.

Cal took the brief moment of reprieve to regain his balance and take a steadying breath. Then he lunged forward with a yell, intent on running the Sith through. But the Sith moved to the side, Cal’s saber only grazing his side. The Sith grabbed Cal’s saber and _yanked_ upwards with Force enhanced strength, forcing Cal to lose his grip as he was tossed backward. He hit the ground with a loud thud.

[ _Cal!_ ] Rida was shifting quickly from form to form, clawing and biting back at the dragon as she tried to escape.

With a grunt of exertion, Cal rolled over and reached out for his saber. It rattled against the ground for half a second before raising to Cals’ command and launching towards him.

… only to stop midair, an opposing Force pulling against Cal’s command. His blood went cold when he looked up and saw the Sith standing calming with a hand out.

“Surrender the holocron.”

Cal let out a choked moan as he felt a painful pressure against his chest. The dragon had finally pinned Rida to the ground, her teeth around Rida’s neck. His limbs shaking with effort, Cal growled at the Sith Lord. “I’ll never give it to you…” he managed to grit out, his breathing strained. 

“We shall see.”

One end of Cal’s saber was suddenly ignited, the yellow blade glowing brought in the dark corridor. And then without preempt, the Sith let go.

Cal let out garbled scream as the hot blade pierced his torso. Rida let out a high pitched screech of pain, going limp underneath the Sith’s daiima. Cal reflexively gripped the hilt to keep the lightsaber from being driven any further. His fingers scrambled along the length of the hilt until he managed to switch the saber off. He sagged to the ground with a shuddered moan, his very insides feeling like they were being cooked. BD beeped worriedly, bouncing around Cal’s head. Somehow, Cal didn’t think a stim was going to do the trick this time.

Satisfied that they were incapacitated, the krayt dragon got off of Rida, taking flight with a satisfied grunt and returning to the Sith jemma. Rida let out a weak whimper, slowly crawling back towards her jemma. [ _Cal… I’m sorry…_ ]

[ _Don’t_ ] Cal insisted, breathing heavily through his nose. [ _This isn’t over yet, we can’t give up yet…!_ ]

A high pitched shriek suddenly echoed through the corridor along with the beating hum of a spinning lightsaber. Cal looked up to see a familiar tresher collide with the krayt dragon mid-air just as the Sith turned to deflect the Inquisitor saber that had been thrown at his head. Cere jumped into the air from behind him to retrieve the deflected saber. Rolling to the ground to soften her landing, she quickly jumped to her feet and swung to attack the Sith. 

“We won’t let you take those children,” Cere seethed through clenched teeth. 

They began exchanging blows as Ziton and the dragon fought ferociously in mid air. Rida made it to Cal, shifting into a zaur and wrapping around his leg, gripping him as tightly as she could with her adhesive grip. Cal tried to use the time to get up, but the pain in his side was overwhelming, every breath bringing about a fresh wave of pain.

The Sith Lord suddenly backhanded Cere, launching her back through the air, but unlike Cal, she quickly got back to her feet. She was breathing heavily glaring at the Sith with unbridled rage. 

“Such hatred…” the Sith said, sounding satisfied. “You would have made an excellent Inquisitor.”

“She’s stronger than that!” Cal spat out.

Cere took a deep breath, and raised her hands in front of herself, her fingers clawed as she began to _squeeze_.

A couple electronics popped in the Sith’s suit as it was crushed, forcing him to his knees. His daiima suddenly fell out of the air to the ground. Ziton swooped down and pinned the dragon, his beak digging into the fleshy exposed neck. 

“No! _No!_ ” Cal cried, finding an untapped well of strength to pull from and force himself up. He tried to stand fully, but the pain suddenly exploded from his stab wound, almost causing him to crumple back to the ground. 

“Yes…” the Sith said. “ _Strong_ with the Dark Side.” He slowly looked up before rising to his full height, seemingly unbothered by Cere’s crushing. “I can _feel_ it inside of her.”

Cal groaned as he finally managed to find his footing, a hand pressed hard against his side to support himself. “Cere, _Cere!_ ” he cried out desperately. “Hey, _listen_ to me! You still have a choice!”

Cere’s shoulders suddenly relaxed. Her hands unclenched and she looked down at them with some mixture of shock and realization. Then she looked over at Ziton. They met each other’s gaze, some silent conversation occurring between them. 

The Sith raised his saber and swung it down at Cere.

She raised her hand and formed a barrier, stopping the red blade midair. Sparks were flying, but Cere’s hand was steady. The krayt dragon was growling as she tried to wriggle free from Ziton.

[ _We have to get out of here_ **_now._** ] Cal was looking around, desperate to find some way to escape the Sith Lord and his flying daiima.

[ _His suit is mechanical, and we’re surrounded by water..._ ] Rida pointed out. 

Cal looked to his right. The transparisteel had spidering cracks through it.

The Sith pulled his blade back and then _stabbed_ it at Cere, the tip inching through her Force barrier. There was a snarl and high pitched screech, and Cere suddenly gasped. Her concentration wavered, and the red lightsaber descending into her. 

“ _No!_ ” Cal pushed out with the Force and shattered the durasteel, wrapping an arm around Cere’s body and diving into the water that was flooding the corridor.

It didn’t matter that it was too late.

It didn’t matter that Rida had watched Ziton vanish into dust.

It didn’t matter that their awareness was being drowned out by pain.

They just needed to get _away_.

There was a flash of green… and then nothing.

* * *

“Hey… Hey. Hey kid…”

He let out a small moan, his body feeling stiff and sluggish. 

“Cal… _Cal!”_

There was a soft trill of beeps. _“Rida seems to be coming roused as well.”_

His vision began to clear, and the faces of his friends began to come into focus. Greez. BD-1… 

Cal suddenly surged up, grabbing Greez’s arm. “Cere?” 

The Latero’s face fell, and Cal’s stomach fell along with it. “Sh-She’s gone,” Greez murmured. 

Cal slumped back into the bed, his eyes burning. Of course, he had already known. He had felt her life fade when the saber came down. Rida had _seen_ Ziton dissolve and fade into the Force.

“The wit… Merrin said she tried to save her but…”

“She couldn’t have,” Cal said, his voice cracking. “Cere… she was already dead,” he whispered, a tear spilling over and streaking down the side of his face. Rida was still wrapped tightly around his leg in Zaur form, the same position she had been in when she first clutched him in the Inquisitorious. Her grief was echoing his own, and for a brief moment, they were back on that escape pod.

Except this time, they weren’t alone.

BD hopped down from Greez’s shoulder, asking hesitantly if he was okay.

Cal sighed, putting a hand over the bandage that wrapped his torso. “I will be,” he said quietly, focusing on his physical state more than anything else. With a small pained groan, he tried to sit up.

Greez was at his side in a moment with a supportive arm. “Easy, easy…”

The door to his cabin suddenly hissed open, and Merrin only hesitated for a moment before running forward and hugging him. A pained grunt had her pulling back almost immediately. She bobbed her head, and she looked a bit flushed in embarrassment. “Sorry. I am just… glad to see you and Rida okay.”

Cal gazed at her for a moment. That green light… “That was you in the water, wasn’t it?”

She gave a small smile and nodded, although the smile almost immediately melted away. “I… I could not save Cere. I could not even _see_ Ziton.”

A small pang tightened Cal’s chest. “They were already gone,” he said quietly. “There was nothing you could have done.”

Merrin nodded, but still looked remorseful. She looked over at Greez. “This one wouldn’t leave your side.” Greez just gave a smile at that.

“Thank you,” Cal said, putting a hand on Rida’s head while the other one cradled his side. Rida had slowly crawled up his leg and was now resting in his lap, still in Zaur form.

“Did you… did you get it?” Greez asked.

At the hesitant question, Cal reached back into the pouch on his belt and pulled out the golden cube. Rida lifted her head slightly to look at it as well. Everything they had gone through, Cere and Ziton’s death… it had all been for this holocron. Taking a deep breath, Cal reached through the Force. The cube floated out of his hand, the corners twisting and floating off as it opened. Blue light flooded the room as a galactic map was brought up. 

“So what will you do now?” Merrin asked. 

That was a good question. Cere and Ziton had wanted to use the information on here to rebuild the Jedi Order.

“The next generation of Jedi…” Merrin said quietly, her eyes scanning over the spots on the map.

“The Empire will be after ‘em. Just like they’re after us,” Greez added with a grumble.

Cal just stared at the map, Rida climbing up to rest on his shoulders. They were both thinking about the vision they had beheld on Bogano when they had unlocked the inner sanctum. There was no way to know how much of what they saw were true visions or just some cobbled together Force speculation. Was it fate… or just a warning?

Should they even go after these kids?

[C _ere and Ziton_ **_died_ ** _for this_ ] Cal said.

[ _They didn’t die for the holocron…_ ] Rida said, gently rubbing her head against his chin. [ _They died to protect the children._ ]

Cal pressed his lips together, even as his body relaxed. He knew what he had to do. “This isn’t our responsibility.”

Merrin frowned. “What do you mean?”

He pulled his saber from his belt. “These children… Their destiny should be trusted to the Force.”

“But that’s not what Cere wanted,” Greez said, becoming agitated. “She wanted to find the kids and make them into Jedi.”

“She and Ziton wanted to protect them,” Rida said. “They died protecting us… In the end, their minds were clear.”

“We don’t have to train them as Jedi to keep them safe from the Empire,” Cal said. “There are other ways.” He ignited his saber and swung the yellow blade through the center of the holocron, the glow vanishing as the broken pieces fell to the ground. 

They all stared down at the remains of the holocron. “So… now what?” Greez asked. “If we’re not going to get these children.”

“The Inquisitorious might be destroyed, but that Sith Lord is still alive. And I’m willing to bet there are other Inquisitors and Purge Troopers out there.”

Merrin frowned. “Sith Lord?” she echoed.

Cal let out a shuddered breath as he thought about the Sith’s daiima. “Pateesa…” he murmured.

“Pardon?” Merrin asked, raising an eyebrow.

He blinked a few times, coming back to the present. “Uh, Sith Lords were the ancient enemy of the Jedi. The Jedi thought they were extinct until a Sith known as ‘Maul’ popped up a few years before I was born. But he was killed almost as soon as he was revealed.”

Merrin shifted in her stance slightly. “I see…”

“We can protect these children by making sure the Empire doesn’t get anywhere near them,” Cal said. “ _That’s_ how we’ll protect them.” He raised a hand to place it against Rida’s side. As he gently stroked her scales, he realized that their bond felt a bit… _different_ now. It was like it had stiffened, but not in a rigid sort of way. More that it had just…

 _…settled_.

[ _Yeah_ ] Rida said softly in her head. [ _I guess… this is me._ ]

Cal smiled, leaning his head slightly to nuzzle against hers. [ _This is_ **_us_** _._ ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I thought narratively that it made more sense for Cere to die at the end of JFO... so she's gone in this version of my 'verse.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! I'll be busy for a couple of weeks, but hopefully I'll be able to start posting my main story that follows this soon.


End file.
